Active Shooter Information

Binghamton University Safety Guidelines for Active Shooter Situations on Campus

Introduction

An active shooter is a person or persons who appear to be actively engaged in killing
or attempting to kill people in populated areas on campus. In most cases active shooters
use firearm(s) and display no pattern or method for selection of their victims. In
some cases active shooters use improvised explosive devices to cause additional victimization
and act as an impediment to law enforcement and emergency services responders. These
improvised explosive devices may detonate immediately, have delayed detonation fuses,
or may detonate on contact. Active shooter situations are dynamic and evolve rapidly,
demanding immediate response by the community and immediate deployment of law enforcement
resources to stop the shooting and prevent harm to the community. This document provides
guidance to faculty, staff, and students who may be caught in an active shooter situation,
and describes what to expect from responding law enforcement officers. Be aware that
the 911 system may become overwhelmed.

Guidelines

In general, how you respond to an active shooter will be dictated by the specific
circumstances of the encounter. If you find yourself involved in an active shooter
situation, try to remain calm and CALL 911 as soon as possible.

If an active shooter is outside your building or inside the building you are in, you
should:

Try to remain calm

Try to warn other faculty, staff, students and visitors to take immediate shelter

“This is _____________, (state your name) I am located at _______________, (give
your location) we have an active shooter, gunshots fired.”

If you were able to see the offender(s), give a description of the persons(s) sex,
race, clothing, type of weapon(s), location last seen, direction of travel, and identity
– if known.

If you observed any victims, give a description of the location and number of victims.

If you observed any suspicious devices (improvised explosive devices), provide the
location seen and a description.

If you heard any explosions, provide a description and location.

Wait patiently until a uniformed police officer, or a university official known to
you, provides an “all clear”.

Unfamiliar voices may be an active shooter trying to lure you from safety; do not
respond to voice commands until you can verify with certainty that they are being
issued by a police officer or university official.

Attempts to rescue people should only be attempted if it can be
accomplished without further endangering the persons inside a
secured area.

Depending on circumstances, consideration may also be given to exiting ground floor
windows as safely and quietly as possible.

If an active shooter enters your office or classroom, you should:

Try to remain calm

Try not to do anything that will provoke the active shooter

If there is no possibility of escape or hiding, only as a last resort when it is imminent
that your life is in danger should you make a personal choice to attempt to negotiate
with or overpower the assailant(s)

If the decision is to overpower the assailant(s), a multiple person attack has a better
chance of success than a single person attack.

Once the decision has been made, throw everything at hand at the assailant(s) – books,
pens, chairs etc. – while engaged in the attack.

Call 911, if possible, and provide the information listed in the previous guideline

If the active shooter(s) leaves the area, barricade the room, or proceed to a safer
location

If you are in an outside area and encounter an active shooter, you should:

Try to remain calm

Move away from the active shooter or the sounds of gunshot(s) and/or explosion(s)

Look for appropriate locations for cover/protection, i.e. brick walls, retaining walls,
large trees, parked vehicles, or any other object that may stop bullet penetration

Try to warn other faculty, staff, students and visitors to take immediate shelter

CALL 911 and provide the information listed in the first guideline

What to expect from responding police officers

The objectives of responding police officers are:

Immediately engage or contain the active shooter(s) in order to stop life threatening
behavior

Police officers responding to an active shooter are trained to proceed immediately
to the area in which shots were last heard in order to stop the shooting as quickly
as possible. The first responding officers may be in teams; they may be dressed in
normal patrol uniforms, or they may be wearing external ballistic vests and Kevlar
helmets or other tactical gear. The officers may be armed with rifles, shotguns or
handguns. Do exactly as the officers instruct. The first responding officers will
be focused on stopping the active shooter and creating a safe environment for medical
assistance to be brought in to aid the injured.